Investigators probing the death of a young NRI in south Delhi may be forced to book two security guards for culpable homicide not amounting to murder due to lack of evidence. They had earlier planned to charge them with culpable homicide, a graver offence.
Naresh Mishra and Surender Bali
were arrested after Anmol Sarna’s post-mortem indicated that he had died of shock and haemorrage because of multiple head injuries, caused by force or a blunt weapon.

During investigation, Delhi Police learnt that Anmol had been attacked with batons by the guards, and one of three head injuries he had suffered was caused by a baton.

Mishra and Bali confessed to attacking Anmol, and claimed that it was the residents of South Park Apartments who had goaded them into attacking him. The guards maintained that the assault was not meant to kill Anmol.

“The duo claimed that they had maintained their calm even after being slapped and abused by Anmol, who was restless and violent because of LSD’s effects and had been spotted running in the lanes of the housing complex. When Anmol began attacking other residents, some of them scolded the security guards and encouraged them to assault him,” a senior officer said.

Barring the statements of the two guards and some of the residents, investigators have no other corroborative evidence to prove the murder charges against Mishra and Bali.

None of the 10 surveillance cameras in the complex have footage of the attack.

One of the camera’s footage, which is now with the police, shows Anmol hitting his head against an iron gate at 12.11am.

Anmol’s four friends, Shivang Gambhir, Madhav Bhandari, Rhytham and Pranel, had not been charged with murder. This, the police said, was because they had been caught on camera leaving the complex at 12.06am, minutes before Anmol was seen hitting his head against the same iron gate.

“He was running around, screaming the names of his friends. He was well-built and proved difficult for the three of us to handle,” said Ajit Sahi, a resident of South Park Apartments.